Scuffles and anthem whistled during the France match

The meeting continued, but the tension remained palpable. The football match between France and Israel took place at the Stade de France this Thursday, November 14. A decision endorsed by the Minister of the Interior, despite fears about possible anti-Semitic violence and requests for cancellations made by certain politicians, in particular elected officials from La France insoumise. Tensions reignited by the violence that occurred in Amsterdam last Thursday after a match between Maccabi Tel-Avi and Ajax.

The France and Israel teams therefore played their Nations League match in front of very sparse stands. On the other hand, the police were present in large numbers: 4,000 police officers and gendarmes were deployed around the Stade de France and in Paris. In detail, 2,500 people secured the stadium grounds, helped by the presence of 1,600 stewards mobilized by the French Football Federation inside the infrastructure. The other 1,500 members of the police patrolled public transport and certain areas of the capital frequented by supporters.

Security measures which proved sufficiently dissuasive since no clashes occurred around the Stade de France before or after the match. The only incidents observed took place in the stands during the first half of the match. A few scuffles broke out, involving Israeli supporters, but the altercations quickly ended with the intervention of security forces: stewards and CRS then closely monitored the area. Also note the booing during the Israeli anthem. To silence the whistles, the sound of Stade de France was turned up. The French and Ile-de-France authorities had taken three strong measures to secure this match:

• A preventive and drastic security system around the stadium: closure of businesses, including restaurants and bars, which surround the stadium square from 3:45 p.m., five hours before the match, in order to avoid gatherings as much as possible. Access to the Stade de France was also secure with double control [et] a security perimeter around the anti-terrorist stadium.
• A very strict protocol for entering the stadium: to access the enclosure you had to present strictly personal tickets as well as an identity document. A search and pat-down were also obligatory to allow each individual to enter the stadium. Several items were also on site: backpacks, liquid containers such as bottles, water bottles or cans as well as Palestinian flags. Only French and Israeli flags were authorized to support the teams present on the field.
• In the stadium, gates have been installed at the foot of all the stands, to prevent any intrusion onto the pitch and prevent disruption of the match. These grids were placed at the foot of the turns during the Coupe de France final, in 2016, between OM and PSG, but only in the turns.

Only 20,000 supporters expected

Israel also sent a very firm message, firmly recommending that nationals of the Jewish state avoid the meeting and not go to Saint-Denis for this match. 20,000 people were present at the Stade de France for the Blues’ match against the Israeli team, very few compared to the capacity of 80,000 seats. And of these thousands of supporters, only 100 to 150 sat in the Israeli stands accessible to people who purchased their tickets from the Israel Football Federation. Among these, some made the trip from the Jewish state on purpose.